WARNING, DO NOT BOOK THIS LISTING UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES IF YOU VALUE YOUR PRIVACY PEACE OF MIND OR SAFETY!!!!!!
I have never left a 1 STAR review, So here it goes. The red flags started before check-in. The host approved the booking, but about 30 min later he told me that the unit I booked was not available...OK I had had a long journey and wasn't interested in finding a new booking let alone authorizing an additional $500 and waiting for AirBnB to credit my account.
The host said he had another condo that was the same floorplan, and sent me a link to the listing. The first time I clicked on the listing the price was $35 per night. When I asked the host if I would be credited with the difference in price, he changed the price of the new listing to match the other unit. Once again last min and 16 hours of travel so I just let it slide BIG MISTAKE! I texted the host to let him know I would be arriving in 20 min so he could meet me for check-in.
Upon arrival at the building, I was unable to locate or contact the host. It was about 100 degrees out so I decided to wait in the lobby of the building as I was waiting there was a large sign that read "DEAR TOURISTS AND TRAVELERS THIS IS NOT A HOTEL NO VACATION RENTALS" yet another RED FLAG.
While I was attempting to locate the host I was accosted by the building staff who told my Girlfriend to put our bags behind the building outside where she couldn't see them and sit in the lobby at the same time. Still tolerable we can survive it unfortunately later in the stay the survivability became in question, but we will get to that later.
When I finally contacted the host after about a half an hour waiting and being treated like leppers in the building lobby, He informed me that the elevators required facial recognition to access, he directed us to the service elevator and gave us the keys to the unit. Well, the unit was on a lower floor so the view wasn't as good ad what we signed up for, once again we'll live. We took a nap and went out for dinner.
When we got home from dinner we found that the service elevator is turned off in the evening when the staff leaves. I texted the host but no response, so we waited for about half an hour until someone activated the facial recognition to access the normal elevators and snuck in behind them. The next day it happened again the host still hadn't responded to the text. So I filed a complaint with AirBnB.
AirBnB contacted me back about 3 days later, when they called me they said "we will contact the host" I said "Please, be mindful as the host lives in the building and I don't want any issues with him"
On the day of checkout, I asked to extend the booking by 3 days because I had food poisoning and moving would have been almost impossible (TMI WARNING, I was on the toilet all day), the host asked me to pay in cash, not AirBnB, I was such on calls to the USA until about 2 am and as soon as I finished my calls I got a text from the host (this makes me suspect that he had surveillance equipment in the unit) but I digress. He couldn't respond to my text at 11 pm when I couldn't access the building, but he had no problem texting me at 2 am for money, I sent him a bank transfer and he had money in his account 30 min later.
2 days later I asked him to extend for another week and have the unit cleaned, he agreed. on the evening of the 3rd day, I ordered delivery food and missed his call while I was in the elevator. When I was walking back to the unit from the elevator I saw him at the door which is at the end of a hallway talking to my girlfriend. The host asked me if I would "pay through Airbnb"
I said "however you prefer"
The host said, " I need to unblock the listing so you can pay."
I said, "Ok please Text me the listing and I will pay."
I entered the unit and sat down to eat dinner about 10 min later the host sent me the listing. About 1 min after he sent another text asking if I had paid yet. I responded that I was eating my dinner and I would pay as soon as I finished and that I would like to eat in peace. He continued to send me messages constantly while I ate.
As I took the first bite of my dessert, I heard a knock at the door, then another knock I decided to finish my cake before I but my time attention, and energy into dealing with what I now understood to be an immature, racist, and mentally unstable host at my door.
Unfortunately, I never got to finish my cake, before I could I heard the electronic lock on the door activate as the host attempted to enter the unit. Keep in mind we were communicating via text and if he hadn't attempted to trespass on my domicile he would have been paid in about 5 bites of cake. Instead, my desire to not be in an 18th-floor condo with an obviously mentally unstable host caused me to leap from my seat rush to the door, and lock the security lock.
After locking the security lock I looked through the peephole to see the Host and 2 unknown males outside of the door. The Host and the Unknown males began shouting conflicting requests through the door while continuing to attempt to force the door.
One shouting "You Pay